The inside dope, Bernstein reports, says Southie native Michael Flaherty has the edge over Sam Yoon, who was born in South Korea and educated at Princeton and Harvard's JFK School of Government. But Yoon has a few things going for him that could surprise the favorites. For one thing, he's targeting the voters who won Boston for Barack Obama and Deval Patrick.

Now closing in on its 100th edition, WFNX's weekly battle royale pits contestants against each other in combat that relies solely on musical taste. The two contestants pick a song; listeners vote; a winner is crowned. Democracy in action.

This Thursday, Yoon and Flaherty will preview their fall matchup when they go head-to-head on WFNX. A sign, perhaps, that Flaherty is beginning to take the Yoon candidacy seriously? Find out at 9 am sharp on Thursday: you can listen live on WFNX.com or check back here later that day -- we'll be monitoring the election for voter fraud, bad taste, and whatever else you can discern from the most ridiculous non-governmental contest this city is likely to see all summer.